Hawks 107, Suns 94
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Hawks beat the Phoenix Suns 107-94 Friday night at Philips Arena.
Hawks forward Josh Smith, who scored 11 points in the first quarter but only two more points in the second quarter, ended with 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Al Horford, whose shot was off all night, had only four points and five rebounds in the first half. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, however, for his 36th double-double.
Devin Harris, starting in place of Jeff Teague (sprained left ankle) for the second consecutive game, dominated the first half, scoring all 15 of his points, hitting 6 of 8 shots before halftime.
Kyle Korver, with 16 points, extended to 58 his streak of consecutive games making at least one 3-point basket. He hit four of them Friday.
The Hawks (36-29) led by 11 points at halftime, 57-46. They outscored the Suns (22-44) 20-3 in fast break points in the first half. But the biggest difference came from beyond the arc. The Hawks made 12 of 23 3-point attempts while the Suns hit only 2 of 16.
Goran Dragic, who had 19 points when the Suns beat the Hawks 92-87 in Phoenix on Mar. 1, followed that up with 21 points and eight assists.
Jermaine O'Neal, finding a rhythm in the third quarter after a six-point first half, finished with 18 points to go with five rebounds for the Suns. Markieff Morris had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Suns were scoreless from 4:53 to :21.5 in the third quarter, helping the Hawks increase their lead to 14 points.
NOTES: Hawks coach Larry Drew said that the two starters who missed Wednesday's 96-92 win over the Lakers -- Smith (sprained left knee) and Teague (sprained left ankle) -- were game-time decisions. By the time he said that, Smith had already confirmed on his way into the locker room that he would play. He started but Teague, once he cooled down after warming up early, didn't feel comfortable and did not start. ... Drew, noting that the Suns "man-handled us down in Phoenix (in a 92-87 loss Mar. 1)" -- particularly Jermaine O'Neal -- said, "We can't look at their record." ... The Hawks wore the red and black road uniforms they used from 1995-99. Those teams had a record of 183-113 (.618). ... The Suns' second bus was caught up in Atlanta's notorious Friday traffic and didn't arrive at the arena until 6:20 p.m. for the 7:40 game. ... Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter acknowledged that, "It's a long, tedious process to get where we want to go," which is tough given all the changes they've had. Hunter says his players do a lot of little things well but, "We have to do a lot of collective things great to be a good team. That's what separates good teams from just average teams. Or bad teams."